Nach 5 langen Jahren melden sich die FLOWER KINGS mit einem neuen Album zurück. Sie haben sich zu einer der bekanntesten Bands der Prog Szene der frühen 90er Jahre entwickelt und sind mit Porcupine Tree, Spocks Beard und Dream Theater zu Ikonen des Progs aufgestiegen. Die neue Scheibe trägt den Namen "Banks Of Eden" und wird am 18. Juni 2012 in Europa und am 19. Juni 2012 in den USA über InsideOutMusic veröffentlicht. THE FLOWER KINGS veröffentlichen zum bevorstehenden Release ein Medley des fast 26-minütigen Eröffnungssongs "Numbers"!

Italian power/progressive metallers VISION DIVINE, founded by guitarist/songwriter Olaf Thorsen (LABYRINTH) and singer Fabio Lione (RHAPSODY OF FIRE), has inked a deal with Germany's earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based rock branch of Edel Group. The band's seventh studio album, "Destination Set To Nowhere", will be released on September 14.

"Destination Set To Nowhere" is a melting pot, a perfect mix of all the styles the band has crossed and experimented with over the years. The concept album is kept in their well-known style, spiced up with a futuristic twist. The high-class production adds up to the unbelievably driven sound.

The concept of "Destination Set To Nowhere" takes place in space, starting from the social-political troubles everybody is experiencing in every-day life. It follows a man on his journey through open space, after having left the earth together with like-minded people. They set out to search a new home, a new planet to make everything better, to live their vision of peace. Finally, after a long journey, a new planet to call home has been found. But slowly, the crew falls back into the same old routines. The new found heaven has turned into the same hell they all wanted to leave behind. The only way to escape is to set out again, one man leaving alone – destination set to nowhere.

Commented Thorsen: "We are sure this album will finally give us the chance to show all of our potential, and we worked hard on it in order to give the best possible album. In the end, we went even beyond our expectations, and I must admit it’s also thanks to the excitement and the good vibes we got from starting this adventure."

Added Lione: "We almost couldn’t believe our eyes when, a few weeks ago, we understood we would become label-partners with so many great bands we have deep admiration for... it’s simply an honour to have become part of this great family and to work with some of the best guys around."

"Destination Set To Nowhere" track listing:

01. S'io Fosse Foco
02. The Dream Maker
03. Beyond The Sun And Far Away
04. The Ark
05. Mermaids From Their Moons
06. The Lighthouse
07. Message To Home
08. The House Of The Angels
09. The Sin Is You
10. Here We Die
11. Destination Set To Nowhere

"Beati Estis Cum Maledixirint Vobis", a brand new song from French black metallers MERRIMACK, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's new album, "The Acausal Mass", which will be released on June 22 via AFM Records. The CD was once again produced by Tore Stjerna and Sverker Widgren at Necromorbus Studio (WATAIN, DESTRÖYER 666, OFERMOD, PORTRAIT, UNANIMATED, SETHERIAL) in Stockholm, Sweden.

Video footage from the studio can be seen below.

"The Acausal Mass" track listing:

01. Vestals Of Descending Light
02. Arousing Wombs In Nine Angels Pleroma
03. Gospel Of The Void
04. Beati Estis Cum Maledixirint Vobis
05. Hypophanie
06. Obstetrics Of Devourment
07. Worms In The Divine Intestine
08. Abortion Light
09. Liminal Matter Corruption

According to a press release, "The Acausal Mass" is "a milestone of orthodox and brilliant black metal, balancing malicious underground spirit and wickedly simmered maturity."

Original BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi, singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler discussed their new album in a video interview posted at NME.com over the weekend. The three musicians are working with producer Rick Rubin on their first recording project together in 34 years, with Osbourne saying, "We've written about 15 songs so far. Whether they all get on the album, I don't know. We just keep on writing." Osbourne also dropped a clue about the set's title, hinting, "Next year, 2013, is a good clue to what we're going to call the album."

As for how Rubin influenced the band's approach to writing together again, Butler explained, "He sat us down, put the first album on and said 'listen to this', imagine it's 1969, you've just done that, what would you do next?"

Iommi added, "It's taken on the flavor of the old stuff in the way we put things together, but with a different look on it."

The album will not be a full-fledged SABBATH reunion. Drummer Bill Ward declined to participate due to issues with the contract he was offered to rejoin the band.

"We've tried everything with Bill at the moment, and it's just not happening," Iommi said. "Our legal people are dealing with his legal people. It's all nonsense. We haven't actually heard from Bill, any of this stuff. It's all been through his lawyers."

"The door is open," Ozzy added. "As far as I know, his requests were very unreasonable. Nothing would have been better [than] if he would have been [willing to play with us]. I don't know. I don't deal with the business."

The project suffered another blow earlier this year when Iommi was diagnosed with cancer, although he said that playing a recent warm-up show in their hometown of Birmingham, England was a boost to his spirits. "It was great," he said. "Going through what I've gone through over the past year has been like living in a different world — being onstage and to get that (reaction from the fans) is just fantastic, it really boosts you up."

SABBATH has curtailed almost all its planned touring activities for 2012 while Iommi undergoes treatment. The band is still scheduled to headline the U.K.'s Download festival this Sunday (June 10) and Chicago's Lollapalooza event in early August. Tommy Clufetos is filling in on drums.

A "sneak peek" at the double-LP version of "Living Like A Runaway", the new album from '80s hard rock queen Lita Ford, is available below. Due on June 19 in North America via SPV/Steamhammer, the effort will be available in four configurations: a double LP, limited-edition CD, standard CD and digital download. The artwork for the album was created by famed rock photographer Mark Weiss.

Standard jewel case version:

01. Branded
02. Hate
03. The Mask
04. Living Like A Runaway
05. Relentless
06. Mother
07. Devil In My Head
08. Asylum
09. Love 2 Hate U
10. A Song To Slit Your Wrists By

Limited-edition digipak version:

01. Branded
02. Hate
03. The Mask
04. Living Like A Runaway
05. Relentless
06. Mother
07. Devil In My Head
08. Asylum
09. Love 2 Hate U
10. A Song To Slit Your Wrists By

Bonus tracks:

11. Bad Neighborhood
12. The Bitch Is Back

Exclusive iTunes version:

01. Branded
02. Hate
03. The Mask
04. Living Like A Runaway
05. Relentless
06. Mother
07. Devil In My Head
08. Asylum
09. Love 2 Hate U
10. A Song To Slit Your Wrists By

Exclusive iTunes bonus track:

11. Boiling Point

Double Gatefold LP Version:

LP Side 1:

01. Branded
02. Hate
03. The Mask

LP Side 2:

01. Relentless
02. Devil In My Head
03. Asylum

LP Side 3:

01. Living Like A Runaway
02. Mother
03. A Song To Slit Your Wrists By

LP Side 4:

01. Love 2 Hate You

Bonus tracks:

02. Bad Neighborhood
03. The Bitch Is Back

"Mother" audio stream (courtesy of the Deciblog):

Legendary Swedish doom metallers CANDLEMASS played their first show with stand-in singer Mats Levén this past Tuesday, June 5 at Debaser Slussen in Stockholm, Sweden.

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert's opening song, "Prophet", can be seen below.

Levén is a former member of YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, THERION and TREAT, who also plays with CANDLEMASS bassist/mainman Leif Edling in KRUX.

In a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Mats said, "I'm helping my friends in CANDLEMASS with the shows booked so far. Looking forward to that, for sure. [However], the only band I'm a permanent member of is KRUX."

Also joining the group for the current live performances is keyboard player Per Wiberg (OPETH, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS).

CANDLEMASS earlier in the month parted ways singer Robert Lowe. According to the band, this was "a very difficult decision" to make and "has mainly to do with the quality of the live performances."

Lowe — who is still a member of SOLITUDE AETERNUS — joined CANDLEMASS in January 2007 and sang on the band's last three studio albums: "King Of The Grey Islands" (2007), "Death Magic Doom" (2009) and "Psalms For The Dead" (2012).

CANDLEMASS will release its 11th and final album, "Psalms For The Dead", on June 8 via Napalm Records. A limited-edition seven-inch vinyl single contaning two album tracks —"Dancing In The Temple Of The Mad Queen Bee" and "The Killing Of The Sun" — preceded the full-length effort on April 13.

British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST have issued the following update:

"Due to diary clashes, we are sorry to say Adrian Erlandsson [drums] won't be playing with the band when they appear at Costa De Fuego on the 20th July, and also Wacken [Open Air] on the 4th August. However, we didn't want to let anyone down, so we are pleased to welcome back the lovely Jeff Singer as special guest drummer for both these shows!!"

Commented Singer: "Really looking forward to getting back in the driving seat with my PARADISE LOST pals for a couple of shows. I was really pleased to be asked and am currently removing the cobwebs before winding the shit out of [Nick] Holmes [vocals] for a couple of weeks. Bring on the inconvenient flights and expensive airport food. I can't wait. The 'Moanometer' is being charged. See you on the road!"

PARADISE LOST's new album, "Tragic Idol", sold around 900 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 32 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

Released on April 24 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media Records, "Tragic Idol" was recorded in part at The Chapel studios in Lincolnshire, England and features cover art by by Parisian designer Valnoir, who has previously worked with MORBID ANGEL, LAIBACH, ULVER and WATAIN, among others.

PARADISE LOST's new video, "Honesty In Death", can be seen below. The clip was filmed in the United Kingdom with director Matt Green, who previously helmed the "Cathedrals Of Dread" video for Mackintosh's death metal side project VALLENFYRE.

Video footage of Chris Ojeda, rhythm guitarist and vocalist of reunited West Virginia metallers BYZANTINE, performing sections of a new song, "Pathogen", can be seen below. The track will be included on the band's next album, to be released in November through Gravedancer Records, the new label formed by MuseBox VP of marketing, Josh Eldridge, in partnership with marketing company MuseBox.

BYZANTINE was first discovered by LAMB OF GOD and released three highly respected albums and completed several major tours before calling in quits in 2008, just after the release of their most respected effort, "Oblivion Beckons". Earlier this spring, the band entered the studio to begin work on the new CD featuring the following lineup:

Chris Ojeda: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Tony Rohrbough: Lead Guitar
Michael Cromer: Bass
Matt Wolfe: Drums

Commented Ojeda: "We've all kept in contact through the past few years and have worked on each other's projects as well. With our guitarist Tony moving back to West Virginia from North Carolina, we decided it would be a perfect opportunity to hang out again and jam. Before we knew it, we were tossing around riffs and song ideas and realized we had what seemed to be the foundation for a pretty kick-ass BYZANTINE album."

KING DIAMOND held a press conference earlier today (Friday, June 8) at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden. Video footage of some of the questin-and-answer session can be seen below.

As previously reported, KING DIAMOND will play only two shows in Europe this summer:

June 09 - Sweden Rock Festival – Sölvesborg, SWE
June 15 - Hellfest - Clisson, France

Legendary Danish heavy metal singer King Diamond (KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE) (real name: Kim Bendix Petersen), 55, underwent open-heart triple-bypass surgery in November 2010. He has since completed his cardiac rehabilitation program and has stopped smoking entirely, changed his diet and is getting regular exercise, according to his wife Livia Zita.

King Diamond made his long-anticipated return to the stage with his MERCYFUL FATE bandmates Hank Shermann, Timi Hansen and Michael Denner on December 7, 2011 at the second of four intimate shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of METALLICA's week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.

King Diamond played a surprise three-song set on January 27 at Tree's in Dallas, Texas during the "5th Annual Nomad Recording Studio Throwdown". King, who appeared without his trademark makeup, was joined for the performance by Michael Harris on guitar, Neil Brincks on bass, J.T. Longoria on guitar and Matt Thompson (KING DIAMOND, SHAOLIN DEATH SQUAD) on drums. King also presented awards at the event, which featured additional performances by BORN & RAISED, SHAOLIN DEATH SQUAD, LOVE STRICKEN DEMISE and RIVETHEAD.

British death metallers ANCIENT ASCENDANT will release their new EP, "Into The Dark", on August 6 through Forepoint Records (via Plastic Head). The CD was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö (OPETH, DARK FUNERAL, BLOODBATH, KATATONIA, MARDUK).

Commented Swanö: "ANCIENT ASCENDANT combines all the right elements from black, death and thrash metal into one lethal blend, topped off with excellent musicianship and amazing vocals! One of the best brutal bands to come out of Britain… well, ever!!"

According to a press release, "Into The Dark" sees ANCIENT ASCENDANT "raising the bar in every conceivable way. The quartet are pioneering a fusion of old-school principles with modern dynamics and power, bringing together the unholy trinity of groove, melody and extremity under one flag."

Since the release of their critically acclaimed debut EP, "The Heathen Throne", ANCIENT ASCENDANT has opened for black metal monsters 1349, death metal legends BOLT THROWER (who personally invited the band to support them), FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, BLOOD RED THRONE, AEON, CEREBRAL BORE, AMPUTATED and DYSCARNATE.

2011 was a hugely successful year for ANCIENT ASCENDANT, which saw them sign to Siege of Amida Records and release their highly rated debut album, "The Grim Awakening".

The focus for the first part of 2012 was to get back into the studio to begin work on the follow up to, "The Grim Awakening". The resulting sessions spawned "Into The Dark", the band's most focused body of work to date.

Look out for ANCIENT ASCENDANT on tour with Belgian gore masters ABORTED, plus a special S.O.P.H.I.E. stage appearance at Bloodstock and an exclusive date with German legends SODOM.

Superskum.com has uploaded quality video footage of BEHEMOTH's April 27 concert at the Summit Music Hall in Denver, Colorado as part of the inaugural "Decibel Magazine Tour". You can check out the clips below.

In a recent interview with Turbo from RSU Radio and the Metal Meltdown, BEHEMOTH vocalist/guitarist Adam "Nergal" Darski was asked how long fans will have to wait for a new BEHEMOTH studio album. "I've got plenty of stuff written down — not completely finished lyrics, but a lot of ideas and verses here and there and some choruses here and there," Nergal replied. "It's a slow process. I'm screwing around with some riffs here and there at the backstage of the venue or the back lounge [of the bus], I'm just jamming out. I think there's plenty of ideas, but sometimes it takes me weeks to realize or to come up with something that I consider, myself, 'Wow, this is it. This is the stuff that should be on the next BEHEMOTH record.' It looks like, with the tenth record, it's worse and worse for me to come up with something I will feel that is great.

He added, "I've always said that... Right now we're good musicians, and we could easily fabricate anything. Metal Blade would have the record fucking in three months — if we want that — but it wouldn't be honest. It wouldn't be 'us.' I just tear out a piece of my heart and soul and my skin and I just fucking put it into my art. Otherwise it makes no sense to me. So this process sometimes takes time and energy and experience, and I'm collecting these experiences by now. But you can be sure that the next BEHEMOTH album is coming out next year; that's for sure. I just can't say if it's before or after summer, but we [will] start working [on it] intensively this summer."

The inaugural "Decibel Magazine Tour" kicked off on April 11 at Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio.

"Tomorrow At Dawn", the new video from France's MEMORIES OF A DEAD MAN, can be seen below. The clip was produced and directed by Eric Truong.

"Tomorrow At Dawn" comes off MEMORIES OF A DEAD MAN's second full-length album, "V.I.T.R.I.O.L.", which came out on April 20 through Klonosphere/Season of Mist.

Produced in France by Etienne Sarthou and mastered in Sweden by Lindberg Magnus (CULT OF LUNA, POISON THE WELL, AUGUST BURNS RED), "V.I.T.R.I.O.L." features "11 new themes that characterize MEMORIES OF A DEAD MAN's engaging ability to switch between the intimate and the powerful with ease," according to a press release.

Much like last year's "Maze" EP, "V.I.T.R.I.O.L." "displays an ambitious blend of sounds and moods, fusing the hypnotically pulverising riffs of post-metal artists like THE OCEAN, CULT OF LUNA and ROSETTA with the burning, full-hearted intensity of hardcore acts like ENVY, and occasionally veering off into dreamy and ethereal ambiences that transport listeners into outer space." The cover art was designed by Hicham Haddaji and can be seen below.

"V.I.T.R.I.O.L." track listing:

01. Tomorrow At Dawn
02. On The Heights Of Despair
03. Under The Cross
04. Meshi'ha
05. Good Mourning Child
06. Insomniac Animal
07. An Ode To Myself
08. Trismegistus King
09. Leave Scars
10. Diving Bell And Butterfly
11. INRI

TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider joined ex-SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bachon stage last night (Thursday, June 7) at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden to perform the SKID ROW classic "Youth Gone Wild". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Bach earlier in the week released a video for the song "I'm Alive". The clip is one of three videos (alongside "Kicking & Screaming" and "TunnelVision") that the singer filmed on June 28, 2011 in Hollywood, California with director Devin DeHaven of Fortress Entertainment (PAPA ROACH, WHITESNAKE, METHOD MAN, TALIB KWELI).

"I'm Alive" comes off Bach's new album, "Kicking & Screaming", which sold 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart. The singer's previous CD, "Angel Down", opened with 6,400 units back in November 2007 to debut at No. 190.

Dee Snider's first-ever autobiography, "Shut Up And Give Me The Mic", was released on May 8 via Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

Los Angeles hardcore/metal band TERROR has posted the full, uncut version of the previously released documentary about its frontman, Scott Vogel, and his bandmates. Originally released as a series, the movie can now be viewed in its entirety below. Focusing on Vogel's early bands, plus the history of TERROR from the band's formation through the making of their latest album, "Keepers Of The Faith", this special documentary is a must-see for any TERROR fan.

TERROR will be on tour in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe this summer, appearing at various festivals as well as hitting the road with BANE, NAYSAYER and ROTTING OUT in July/August.

"Keepers Of The Faith" sold around 2,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 11 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Keepers Of The Faith" was released on August 30, 2010 in Europe and September 14, 2010 in North America via Century Media Records. Doom Patrol issued the album in Japan on September 1, 2010. The CD contained 13 new tracks produced by Chad Gilbert of NEW FOUND GLORY at Buzzbomb Studios in Orange County, California. It was engineered by Paul Miner (DEATH BY STEREO, ADAMANTIUM) and mixed by Matt Hyde (SLAYER, HATEBREED).

Canadian extreme metallers CRYPTOPSY will release their new self-titled album later in the year. The cover artwork was created by Mircea Gabriel Eftemie (MNEMIC) and can be seen below.

"Cryptopsy" track listing:

01. Two-Pound Torch
02. Shag Harbour's Visitors
03. Red-Skinned Scapegoat
04. Damned Draft Dodgers
05. Amputated Enigma
06. The Golden Square Mile
07. Ominous
08. Cleansing The Hosts

CRYPTOPSY debuted a brand new song, "Amputated Enigma", during their April 29 concert at The Dominion House in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

CRYPTOPSY in January tapped bassist Olivier Pinard (NEURAXIS, VENGEFUL) as the replacement for guitarist-turned-bassist Youri Raymond.

Raymond left CRYPTOPSY in December, explaining in a statement that "it's in the best interest of both the band and I to part ways." He added, "As a musician, moving from guitar to bass was a great challenge, but honestly, I never really felt comfortable in that position and my motivation in general was stagnating."

Lead guitarist and songwriter Jon Levasseur rejoined CRYPTOPSY in May 2011.

"The Unspoken King", CRYPTOPSY's sixth full-length and first to feature new vocalist Matt McGachy, was released June 24, 2008 to a wide array of reactions. Drummer Flo Mounier explained his intention in reshaping the dynamics of the band to Decibel magazine: "I'm a fan of different sorts of music, and I think it's most fun when a band puts out an album that has elements of everything; you get this thing called diversity, not boredom. That's what we're trying to do. Still, I think people are going to be surprised how brutal this album is."

LYNCH MOB has tapped Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE) as its new touring drummer for the upcoming summer shows in support of the band's new release.

LYNCH MOB, coming off a highly praised performance at this year's M3 Rock Festival in May, entered the studio energized and ready to rock! The fruits of their labor, entitled "Sound Mountain Sessions", will be released in July, with "Slow Drag" hitting the airwaves in the upcoming weeks.

Upcoming LYNCH MOB shows:

Jun. 22 - Idaho Falls, ID - Rockin' The Falls
Jul. 06 - Lombard, IL - Taste Of Lombard
Jul. 28 - Royalton, MN - Halfway Jam
Aug. 18 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Theater (w/ CINDERELLA, SEBASTIAN BACH)
Mar 16 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Monsters Of Rock Cruise (2013)

LYNCH MOB 2012 is:

Oni Logan - vocals
George Lynch - guitar
Robbie Crane - bass
Brian Tichy - drums

On June 19, Deadline Music/Cleopatra Records will release a special three-disc audio/video deluxe collection of LYNCH MOB's "REvolution". The set features the full-length studio album "REvolution" with killer, supercharged renditions of classic DOKKEN/LYNCH MOB tracks such as "Tooth And Nail", "Breaking The Chains", "Wicked Sensation" and more. It also includes professionally filmed live performances recorded during the 2005 "REvolution" tour, mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound.

LYNCH MOB's comeback album, "Smoke And Mirrors", was released in Europe on September 18, 2009 (October 13, 2009 in the U.S.) via Frontiers Records. The recording lineup on the CD included Lynch and singer Oni Logan alongside bassist Marco Mendoza (WHITESNAKE, THIN LIZZY) and drummer Scot Coogan (BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION, ACE FREHLEY).

Lynch has joined forces with fellow former/current DOKKEN members Jeff Pilson (bass) and Mick Brown (drums) in a new project called T&N (formerly TOOTH AND NAIL). The band's debut album is tentatively due later in the year. The CD will feature new original material as well as reworked versions of around five or six DOKKEN classics.

Lynch's eleventh solo album in nearly twenty years, "Kill All Control", was released last July via Rocket Science, Inc.

Southern hard rockers NASHVILLE PUSSY have confirmed a hometown show in Atlanta, Georgia on June 27 at The Star Bar. The event, which has been dubbed "NASHVILLE PUSSY's first-ever summer rock n' roll showdown," sees the return of bassist Karen Cuda, who has been recovering from a neck injury. The show will feature support from THE EL CAMINOS and THE BABYHATERS.

NASHVILLE PUSSY recently released a live record recorded all over Europe in a special two-CD re-release of their last studio album, "From Hell To Texas", which was completely remixed for this edition. The band has also started work on a new album; more details are expected to be announced soon.

The band's fifth album, "From Hell To Texas" (2009), landed at No. 87 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200. The CD was recorded and mixed at Pedernales Studio in Spicewood, Texas with producer Daniel Rey and was engineered and mixed by Gordie Johnson and Jacob Sciba. It was mastered by Howie Weinberg and Matt Agoglia at Masterdisk.

"Mot Grav", the new video from Norwegian metallers PURIFIED IN BLOOD, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's new album, "Flight Of A Dying Sun", which will be released in Europe on June 15 via Indie Recordings. The cover artwork was created by Jondix Mahashakti and can be seen below.

"This is the missing link between 'Reaper Of Souls' and 'Under Black Skies'," says PURIFIED IN BLOOD singer Hallgeir S. Enoksen.

PURIFIED IN BLOOD's new album was recorded with Jacob Bredahl, who previously worked with band on 2006's "Reaper Of Souls", a CD known for its rawness and intensity.

This time around, PURIFIED IN BLOOD's second singer Glenn Reaper was not involved in the recording process and Hallgeir faced a new challenge being the band's sole vocalist — a challenge he stepped up to for the past one and a half year with no problems whatsoever. His voice range has developed a lot the past year singing alone and he takes on the task "with no remorse, no repent."

"Flight Of A Dying Sun" features guest appearances by Glenn Reaper on the power anthem "Iron Hands"; Erlend Hjelvik (KVELERTAK) on "Mot Grav"; Kjetil Møster (DATAROCK, ULTRALYD, MØSTER) on saxophone, Ådne Sæverud on organ and Jens Borge (SKADNE KREK) on double bass. Last but certainly not least they have Siberian throat singer Albert Kuvezin on board to start the whole album with his voice of war.

"Flight Of A Dying Sun" track listing:

01. The Absolute
02. Storm Of Blood
03. Mot Grav
04. Iron Hands
05. Mind Is Fire
06. Escape To Solace
07. Void
08. Flight Of A Dying Sun

According to USA Today, BOB WELCH, the influential guitarist and vocalist for FLEETWOOD MAC in the band's early days, took his life today at his Nashville-area home, WKRN-TV reports.

Welch, 65, died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest. His wife found him about 12:15 p.m. at their home in Antioch. He had recently suffered undisclosed health issues, a Metro police spokesperson said.

Welch played with Fleetwood Mac in the early to mid-1970s, before the group achieved superstar status with Fleetwood Mac (1975) and Rumours (1977).

He joined the band in 1971 when it was an English blues band and helped shape its future sound and attract an American audience. He played on five records - Future Games, Bare Trees, Penguin, Mystery to Me and Heroes Are Hard to Find, the band's first to crack the US Top 40. He was also responsible for two early hits, 'Sentimental Lady' and 'Hypnotized'.

Welch left the band in late 1974, replaced by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who helped catapult the group to stardom. He had some success as a solo artist in the late 1970s including his 1977 hit 'Ebony Eyes' (see video below).

Born into an entertainment family, his father, Robert, produced several hit films for Paramount Pictures in the 1940s and 1950s, and his mother, Templeton, was a singer and actress who worked with Orson Welles' Mercury Theater in Chicago.

Earlier this week, Josh Hart of GuitarWorld.com conducted an interview with METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

GuitarWorld.com: You've been playing "the black album" all summer on tour in Europe, and you'll be playing it the second night of [Orion Music + More]. The first night is "Ride the Lightning". You already play a lot of those songs live, but were there any cuts you had to brush up on?

Kirk: As you said, a lot of the songs in our set are on "Ride The Lightning" to begin with, so when it came time to actually think about doing "Ride The Lightning", the only songs we needed to rehearse were "Escape" and "The Call Of Ktulu". Everything else is something that we play in pretty regular rotation — "Fade To Black", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "Fight Fire With Fire". The only one we really felt the need to rehearse was "Escape", which we've never played live before, and "The Call Of Kutlu", which we have played live a lot, but not since December, I think.

GuitarWorld.com: The most striking thing about the [Orion Music + More] festival is the incredibly diverse lineup. How did that come together? Did you all come to the table with a list of bands you wanted to see on the bill?

Kirk: What happened was we got a long list of bands who were available, and we just kind of picked and chose. And made sure that whoever we picked was someone we actually like. [laughs] I'm really looking forward to it. And we also have these lifestyle tents that are kind of based on our own individual interests. James [Hetifield] is having a car show, Lars [Ulrich] is having a movie festival type thing, Rob [Trujillo] is having a skate-and-surf thing and I have Kirk's Crypt, which is kind of like a haunted-house type thing. Those are the things that we're kind of going above and beyond to make sure our own lifestyles and personalities come across. That's kind of a new thing for us. Usually when we get to the show, we just play the show and leave. But this time it's our show, and it's more of an event than anything else. That's where all the other types of bands and the lifestyle tents come in.

GuitarWorld.com: In your recent interview with Rolling Stone, James said he had more than 800 riffs laying around, and Rob hinted that you had more than 300. Is that pretty accurate?

Kirk: I'm probably closer to 400 now. [laughs] But you know, out of those 400 there might only be 20 great riffs. It'd be something if all 400 were triple-A, diamond-rated ideas, but that's just not the case. Never was and never will be. James might have 800 riffs, but there's maybe 12 songs in there. Who knows? It all depends on what we do with it. In the fall, we plan on concentrating a little more on writing songs and doing nothing else but just thinking about the new album. That should be interesting.

GuitarWorld.com: Is there a time frame fro hitting the studio yet, or is it too soon to tell?

Kirk: No, it's just whenever. Whenever it happens, it happens, really.

Read the entire interview from GuitarWorld.com.

Resurrected German death metallers MORGOTH will release their first-ever live album and DVD, "Cursed To Live", on June 25 via Century Media Records. The audio tracks were mixed at Unisound Studio in Sweden with Dan Swanö (OPETH, KATATONIA, DISSECTION).

"Cursed To Live" is the documentation of MORGOTH's ongoing 20th-anniversary celebration of the band's all-time classic album "Cursed" (released by Century Media Records in 1991). It will be released on CD, a limited DVD+2CD as well as a limited deluxe 2LP. The live show featured on the album was recorded at the band's triumphant show headlining Way Of Darkness festival 2011, at which MORGOTH performed an extensive set of 15 songs, with the main focus on the songs off "Cursed". The cover artwork — with an intentional nod to the original "Cursed" art — was designed by the renowned artist Dirk Rudolph (RAMMSTEIN, IN EXTREMO, APOCALYPTICA), who had also created the original artwork for "Cursed" 21 years ago.

Commented MORGOTH: "By the end of June, we will be finally releasing our career's first-ever official live DVD/live album, 'Cursed To Live'. Get ready for the full power of MORGOTH during the 2011/2012 'Cursed' reunion! The package’s main show is a 70 min. live recording of the Way Of Darkness festival show that we played on October 7th, 2011 in Lichtenfels, Germany. Next to this main feature, we also added plenty of extra bonus material for the DVD format (like the early, original promo clips and more recent live footage) and its companion bonus disc (composed of live songs from Rock Hard Festival and Wacken Open Air, both in 2011). There will even be a gatefold 2LP release of the live album, so this is all sounding and looking really cool…Watch out!"

"22 years ago I proudly wore a MORGOTH t-shirt on the group-photo for the first EDGE OF SANITY album," Dan said. "Any metalhead knows that for the really important photos, you only wear what you truly worship!!! Sometime during the mix sessions of the live material I had to pinch my arm to make sure I wasn't dreaming! It's always a great vibe when something in your life comes 'full circle,' and this is one of those moments for me!"

The song "Body Count" taken from the "Cursed To Live" CD can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

MORGOTH will return to North American ground by appearing at Baltimore's acclaimed Maryland Deathfest on May 27. Furthermore, the band will perform at Neurotic Deathfest (The Netherlands), Brutal Assault (Czech Republic) as well as the following events in Germany: Winternachtstraum (Arnsberg), Walpurgis Metal Dayz (Passau), Rock Harz (Ballenstedt) and Summer Breeze (Dinkelsbühl).

For a complete list of dates, visit the band's Facebook page.

MORGOTH is:

Marc Grewe - Vocals
Harry Busse - Guitar
Sebastian Swart - Guitar
Sotirios "Soti" Kelekides - Bass
Marc Reign - Drums

"Body Count" audio:

Professionally filmed video footage of Finnish female-fronted metallers BATTLE BEAST performing the song "Iron Hand" in France during their recent European tour as the support act for NIGHTWISH can be seen below.

BATTLE BEAST's debut album, "Steel" — which was originally released in Finland last year via Hype Records — was made available internationally on January 27 through Nuclear Blast Records.

Formed in 2008, BATTLE BEAST won the Wacken Open Air Metal Battle contest in Finland last year, enabling the band to perform at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany and represent its home country in the international Metal Battle finals. The group beat out 26 other acts from all around the world, which led to a record deal with the world's biggest independent heavy metal label.

Commented Andy Siry, head of A&R at Nuclear Blast: "Young, dynamic but still deeply rooted in traditional heavy metal, BATTLE BEAST breathe new life into the scene and rekindle the sound of the '80s with a fulgent livery. The well-deserved victory at the Wacken Open Air Metal Battle 2010 was the first important step to which we want to live up by supporting these up-and-coming talents energetically."

Added BATTLE BEAST guitarist Anton: "We feel honoured that Nuclear Blast show their interest in BATTLE BEAST by releasing 'Steel'. Many thanks to our partners, closest people and most of all to our fans who believed in us and gave us their support. The journey continues!"

"Steel" track listing:

01. Enter The Metal World
02. Armageddon Clan
03. The Band Of The Hawk
04. Justice And Metal
05. Steel
06. Die-Hard Warrior
07. Cyberspace
08. Show Me How To Die
09. Savage And Saint
10. Iron Hand
11. Victory
12. Stay Black (bonus track)

BATTLE BEAST is:

Nitte Valo (vocals)
Anton Kabanen (guitar, vocals)
Pyry Vikki (drums)
Juuso Soinio (guitar)
Eero Sipilä (bass, vocals)
Janne Björkroth (keyboards, vocals)

Fan-filmed video footage of QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate's June 2 solo performance at the Outdoor Music & Arts Festival at the Dancing Eagle Casino in Casa Blanca, New Mexico can be seen below.

Geoff entered the studio on February 29 to begin recording his second solo album.

Tate released his first solo CD in 2002 on Sanctuary Records. Self-titled, the LP was a huge departure from the work he had previously done with QUEENSRŸCHE.

When asked about the sound of his new solo album, Tate told AnthologySD.com, "Well, it's very different from my last one, for sure. It's a new bunch of people I've been working with to write and record it, so that changes things. When you're working with different people, it really changes the record. This one is really hard rock. The last one was really all over the place with different styles of music and everything, but this one really keeps with the hard rock style. It does it in kind of a different way — more of my way or what I would envision. I guess it's experimental in some ways, while in others it's very traditional. What I tried to do was take traditional rock instrumentation and apply it in kind of a different song structure. That's what I would best describe it as. [laughs]"

Regarding his current solo tour, Tate told the Lincoln Journal Star, "QUEENSRŸCHE is not doing much together this year. I wanted to keep touring and I wanted to move in a different direction. It's kind of a singer's dream, really. You're not competing with the other instruments, especially the drum kit. The whole idea was hatched after a dinner party at my house one night."

PHILM — the Los Angeles-based experimental post-hardcore triumvirate featuring drummer Dave Lombardo (SLAYER), guitarist/vocalist Gerry Nestler (CIVIL DEFIANCE), and bassist Pancho Tomaselli (WAR) — played a special CD-release show on May 15 at The Viper Room in West Hollywood, California. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

PHILM's debut album, "Harmonic", was released on May 15 via Ipecac Recordings.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Vitriolize
02. Mitch
03. Hun
04. Area
05. Way Down
06. Harmonic
07. Exuberance
08. Sex Amp
09. Amoniac
10. Held In Light
11. Dome
12. Killion
13. Mezzanine
14. Mild
15. Meditation

"When people hear about my involvement in PHILM, they automatically assume that it will compare to SLAYER's sound," explains Lombardo. "They couldn't be more different. I have scaled down my drum set to a four-piece, reminiscent of the drummers from the late '60s that influenced me. Each song is unique in itself, I like to refer to it as 'rhythmic emotion.' It's almost like taking all the heavy songs of the '60s and bringing that era to a modern plateau, then blending them with the modern trance and psychedelic sounds of today."

"We decided to record 'Harmonic' in the intimate setting of a home, with various vintage recording equipment," says Lombardo on the band's debut album. "The music was written collectively in an improvisational manner, unlike the majority of recordings I've done before. This was very important given this is my first recording where I'm carrying the title of producer and performer. The album achieves a dense, unholy convergence of tones and discords. We also touch on haunting, desolate, ambient sounds. Our music tends to be written in a manner where we never know the outcome until we listen back to what we recorded. A harmonic journey."

While there are elements of metal detected throughout PHILM's sound, the band manages to also incorporate such other styles as jazz, ambient, hardcore punk, experimental, and funk into its unpredictable, cacophony-heavy style. An obvious reason for this multi-genre amalgamation can be directly linked to the gentlemen that play alongside Lombardo in PHILM — Tomaselli is a longtime member of funk rockers WAR, and Nestler fronts prog metallists CIVIL DEFIANCE. Add it all up, and you get the wonderful world of PHILM.

Ipecac Recordings is the brainchild of Greg Werckman (former label manager for the legendary punk label Alternative Tentacles) and FAITH NO MORE singer Mike Patton, who played with Lombardo in the eclectic supergroup FANTÔMAS.

Official Metallica.com footage of METALLICA's meet-and-greet, pre-show tuning-room jam and "Holier Than Thou" performance at the Swiss edition of the Sonisphere festival on May 30 at Yverdon-les-Bains can be viewed below.

METALLICA performed its top-selling 1991 LP, "Metallica", a.k.a. "the black album," in its entirety at the Yverdon-les-Bains concert. As they have done on all the shows on their current European tour, the band played the LP backwards, starting with closing number "The Struggle Within" and ending with "Enter Sandman".

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Hit The Lights
02. Master Of Puppets
03. Fuel
04. For Whom The Bell Tolls
05. Hell And Back
06. The Struggle Within
07. My Friend Of Misery
08. The God That Failed
09. Of Wolf & Man
10. Nothing Else Matters
11. Through The Never
12. Don't Tread On Me
13. Wherever I May Roam
14. The Unforgiven
15. Holier Than Thou
16. Sad But True
17. Enter Sandman

Encore:

18. Blackened
19. One
20. Seek & Destroy

One of the most intriguing and mysterious projects on METALLICA's upcoming schedule is the band's 3D movie, which begins filming later this summer and will mix concert footage with a storyline. Drummer Lars Ulrich spoke with Rolling Stone about the project for the magazine's METALLICA cover story, saying, "This has been circling for two years. It's time to life-size it, get it out of our minds and on the screen. And if it's done right, it can be sensational. You're not watching METALLICA onstage. You're onstage with METALLICA. In IMAX, James Hetfield is 38 feet tall, snotting on you, spitting on you. It's 2,000 decibels. If there is an earthquake outside, you wouldn't notice."

Ulrich explained that the sheer power of presenting a METALLICA concert that way forced the group to add more to the movie, saying, "You can't do that for 100 minutes. It loses its appeal. There is another element in there — intimate, small, a story that takes place over the same trajectory as the concert. The question is, 'Where do they weave in and out of each other?'"

METALLICA is financing the project itself and has hired "Predators" director Nimród Antal to get behind the camera. Antal will film the band's August 24 concert in Vancouver, Canada for use in the movie.

The show will feature a brand new 140-foot-by-50-foot stage that will include what a post at the band's web site called "colossal components and striking visual elements spanning METALLICA's entire 30-year career."

The first-ever METALLICA-curated Orion Music + More festival will take place on June 23-24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The group is headlining both days and will perform its entire 1984 album "Ride The Lightning" for the first time ever on one day, and its entire 1991 "black album" on the other.